Still not a skinny vegan

Long time readers know I have a few opinions when it comes to weight and size. And veganism. And the intersection of the two.

I believe you can be a “good” vegan, a “healthy” vegan, and still consume added fats, salt and sugar. I do not believe that following a restrictive vegan diet makes you “disease-proof.” (Ginny takes some of this on, far batter than I, in her When Vegans Get Cancer post.)

I believe that by eating a well-balanced diet filled with vegetables, fruits, beans/legumes, grains, and nuts and seeds – while enjoying indulgences and vegan “junk” food in moderation – I can still be fit. Fit and round, in my case. My plumper belly does not make me a bad vegan, regardless of who is trying to sell the vegan dream through promises of thinness.

Today I shared these thoughts on the topic with my friend Dianne – a fellow vegan lifestyle coach – and her readers on VeggieGirl.com. I hope you’ll check out: Guest Post: I am Not a Skinny Vegan by JL Fields, VLC. Dianne recently shared her story on creating a vegan community here and I am delighted to be on her blog today!

In related news, today on Stop Chasing Skinny we have a new community post: Michelle: I send love to her. I hope you’ll check this post out, too.

Tagged as: stop chasing skinny, veggigirl.com

http://www.bring-joy.com/ Janae @ Bring-Joy

JL, this makes me love you even more. Thanks for keeping it real, girl. I think some brands of veganism (the ones who sell “dreams of skinny”) are borderline eating disorder behavior. I know some people can follow the low-fat diet & not have an eating disorder, but for me, I felt like it was too restrictive. I still try to avoid oils, but instead of can’t or no, I focus on trying to really listen to what my body needs AND wants. I’ve found that my body is much more intuitive than I’ve ever given it credit for!
- http://jlgoesvegan.com JL
  
  Thanks, Janae, that means so much! I like your approach!
jaemi

I love your blog so much! And I couldn’t agree more with your post. It’s easy for me to take things to extreme. Even health. Restricting salt/sugar/oil from my already healthy plant-based diet triggers the same crazy-brain misery like any other restrictive diet. Even though I’m not as thin as I’d like to be, or people expect when they hear “vegan”…I’m at the weight my body wants to be. Following someone else’s idea of “perfection” gets me into trouble. I want good health, but I want happiness too!
- http://jlgoesvegan.com JL
  
  Here’s to health and happiness, Jaemi! Thank you for your comment!
Cate

Well, I am a skinny vegan…I am an ectomorph runner/ex-dancer who DID have a 20 year battle with an eating disorder UNTIL I became a “whole foods, very minimal added salt, sugar, fat vegan” 13 years ago. This way of eating gave me a REAL context for eating (animal compassion, health, environment) as opposed to using food to control my emotions/focus/etc. Yes, I will probably always be a little OCD about things – food just being one of them, but at least for the last 13 years, I have eaten well, eaten enough (I eat more than my much larger husband) and haven’t overly focused on food beyond learning a great deal about nutrition, cooking, etc. Getting beyond body image has been a life long struggle, but having a structured framework is what works for some people like me, just like not having one works for others. Thanks for sharing your experience with the rest of us.
- http://jlgoesvegan.com JL
  
  Cate, I really appreciate reading your perspective! Thank you for sharing it and congrats on finding a place in your life that fills good, fulfilling and full!
  
  Some of my best friends are “skinny vegans” And many more are not. I think it’s important that people see we vegans as the diverse groups of people that we are – and that no one loud voice dictate the “right way” to eat. Balance, right?
  
  I’m so happy you jumped in and shared your experience. Thank you!
http://www.facebook.com/gena.hamshaw Gena Hamshaw

I have a lot of folks speaking out lately about the dangers of the no salt/no added fat/no added sugar approach lately on my blog; I’ve also gotten quite a few emails with scary stories about low fat diets gone wrong (low BMI, halted menstruation, fatigue). Thank you for doing your part in showing the dangers of extremism, JL.
- http://jlgoesvegan.com JL
  
  Wow, this is really interesting, Gena. Thank you for adding this to the discussion. I’m mostly annoyed but this is a great reminder that it’s more than annoying – it’s serious!